Overview of Google Play Services

With Google Play
services, your app can take advantage of the latest, Google-powered features such as Maps,
Google+, and more, with automatic platform updates distributed as an APK through the Google Play
store. This makes it faster for your users to receive updates and easier for you to integrate the
newest that Google has to offer.

How it works

The Google Play services client library

The client library contains the interfaces to the individual Google services and allows you to
obtain authorization from users to gain access to these services with their credentials. It also
contains APIs that allow you to resolve any issues at runtime, such as a missing, disabled, or
out-of-date Google Play services APK. The client library has a light footprint if you use
ProGuard as part of your build process, so it
won't have an adverse impact on your app's file size.

If you want to access added features or products, you can upgrade to a new version of the client
library as they are released. However, upgrading is not necessary if you don't care about new
features or bug fixes. We anticipate more Google services to be continuously added, so be on the
lookout for these updates.

The Google Play services APK

The Google Play services APK contains the individual Google services and runs as a background
service in the Android OS. You interact with the background service through the client library
and the service carries out the actions on your behalf. An easy-to-use authorization flow is also
provided to gain access to the each Google service, which provides consistency for both you and
your users.

The Google Play services APK is delivered through the Google Play Store, so updates to the services
are not dependent on carrier or OEM system image updates. In general, devices
running Android 4.1 (API level 16)
or later and have the Google Play services app installed receive updates within a
few days. This allows you to use the newest APIs in Google Play services and reach most of the
devices in the Android ecosystem. Devices older than
Android 4.1 or devices without the Google Play services app
are not supported.

Figure 1: The Google Play services APK on user devices receives regular updates for
new APIs, features, and bug fixes.

The benefits for your app

Google Play services gives you the freedom to use the newest APIs for popular Google services
without worrying about device support. Updates to Google Play services are distributed
automatically by the Google Play Store and new versions of the client library are delivered
through the Google Maven repository.
This makes it easy for you to focus on what's important: your users' experience.